Top 10 Streaming Shows Last Week: Hulu Crashes the Party as HBO Max Refuses to Yield

Hulu hasn't owned the top spot in a while, but last week? That changed.

According to Reelgood's latest data for the week of February 12–18, Predator: Badlands debuted at #1, signaling that Hulu's franchise bet paid off. But with HBO Max right on its heels and Apple TV pulling off something genuinely surprising, the board looks more scrambled than it has all year.

Hulu

A #1 debut for Hulu is notable on its own, but the real significance here is what it says about the platform's franchise strategy. Hulu has spent years playing second fiddle to Netflix on volume and HBO on prestige, but landing a debut that commands the top spot suggests the platform is learning how to deploy IP with real force when the moment is right.

The question is though "what comes next?". A debut at #1 is a headline. Holding ground next week is the actual proof of concept.

We'll check back next week to see how it goes.

HBO Max

Nobody should be surprised that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is still here. What's worth noting is that it's still here at #2, holding against a high-profile debut rather than collapsing under the weight of it. That's not luck. That's a platform with subscribers who came for the franchise and decided to stay for the season.

The Pitt continuing to sit inside the Top 5 is quietly becoming one of the more interesting stories of early 2026. It launched, it held, it kept holding. Noah Wyle's medical drama has stopped feeling like a new show and started feeling like a fixture, which is exactly what HBO Max needs it to be while the next tentpole loads up.

Two titles, consistent positions, zero panic. HBO Max doesn't need to win every week. It just needs to always be in the room.

Apple TV

The #3 debut for Eternity is the number that will get the least attention this week and probably deserves the most scrutiny. Apple TV doesn't chart like this often. When it does, it typically signals a word-of-mouth engine that started turning before launch, or a creative swing so confident that critics and subscribers landed on it simultaneously.

Either way, a top-three debut for a platform with Apple TV's subscriber base is not a small achievement. It's a statement that the service can compete for cultural attention when it has the right material. The catch, as always, is consistency. Apple TV has proven it can create moments. It has not yet proven it can create momentum.

Netflix

Netflix placing three titles in the Top 10, led by The Lincoln Lawyer, is less a story about any individual show and more a story about market share through sheer presence. The Lincoln Lawyer holding near the top of Netflix's slate is on-brand: procedural comfort, serialized stakes, a character audiences already trusted before they pressed play.

The supporting titles lower on the chart reinforce what Netflix does better than anyone. They don't manufacture breakouts every week. They manufacture floor traffic. Three titles in the Top 10 means Netflix subscribers are engaged across the board, which is the metric that actually keeps the lights on.

Peacock

Peacock doubling up with Song Sung Blue and The 'Burbs is the week's understated win. The platform has been fighting for chart visibility all year, and landing two titles simultaneously suggests something is clicking beyond algorithmic recommendation.

Song Song Blue Trailer

The Burbs Trailer

These aren't tentpoles. That's actually the point. If Peacock can place non-franchise titles on the chart through genuine viewer engagement, it means the platform is building an audience rather than just borrowing one.

So what does it mean?

Hulu grabbed the headline. HBO Max held its ground. Apple TV made a statement. Netflix did what Netflix does. And Peacock quietly made a case that it belongs in the conversation.

The most interesting tension heading into late February isn't who wins the top spot week to week. It's whether Hulu can sustain the momentum it just built, or whether Predator: Badlands turns out to be a spike rather than a shift.

Reference: Reelgood‍

‍